Jae stepped into the living room, his sharp eyes scanning the area for a particular person and found nothing but silence. Without hesitation, he ascended the staircase leading to the upper floor.
Reaching the top landing, Jae immediately entered that dark hallway. Without wasting time, he pushed open a single room door at the end of that dark hallway and strode inside without breaking stride.
As he stepped further into the room, his gaze surveyed every corner, searching for any sign of Jia.
"Jia! Are you in the bathroom?" he called out, approaching the bathroom door before knocking it only to find it open, revealing an emptiness within.
A sense of concern and slight anger welled up in him as he retreated, his face transforming from calm to agitated.
"Where is she? HOW CAN SHE GO WITHOUT MY PERMISSION?" he shouted, slamming the jug of water onto the floor from the nightstand, its loud shatter echoing through the room. "How dare she?" he muttered under his breath before sprinting toward the exit door.
After scouring every corner of his house, he finally stepped outside and was about to rush toward the main gate when suddenly... a voice called out to him.
"Master!!"
The voice reverberated with excitement, but the distance made it sound faint.
Jae swiftly scanned the surroundings, his head turning to and fro in search of her. Once again, her voice rang out, leaving him perplexed.
"WHERE ARE YOU, JIA? DON'T PLAY HIDE AND SEEK WITH ME!" he bellowed, craning his neck as his eyes darted left and right.
"Not there….i'm here….look up."
Concentrating the direction of her voice, he quickly turned his head up to see her and on seeing he widened his eyes. His eyes locked onto her silhouette, high above him on the rooftop. Jia stood there, gripping a long iron rod that anchored her to the support beneath. If she let go, even slightly, the fall would be instantaneous.
Yet despite this precarious position... She was waving enthusiastically at Jae with an unshakable grin plastered across her face as if nothing were wrong!
Jae's voice boomed with fury, "HOW DID YOU CLIMB THERE?!"
She shouted back playfully, "With the help of the window!"
"HAVE YOU GONE MAD?! GET DOWN RIGHT NOW!"
"I climbed up here easily... but now I don't know how to get down! So I guess... maybe flying by jumping would be fun? So prepare yourself to see me fly!" she declared with a mischievous glint in her eyes, just as her fingers loosened around the iron rod—
Jae's heart lurched as he screamed desperately, "NO!! JIA, DON'T!" His face etched with pure despair. Something familiar stirred within him - a potent mix of fear and sorrow.
Just when he thought all was lost... Jia suddenly tightened her grip on the rod again and burst into laughter like it was all some elaborate joke!
"What did you think I would really jump?? I'm not mad ... .I can't fly without wings….first I need wings."
He released a sigh of relief for a moment.
"You are really mad." He mumbled. "Listen Jia, I'm coming to you, don't move at all from there."
"What? Are you also going to join me?"
Without a moment's hesitation, he bounded towards the door, leaving Jia's words hanging in the air, unanswered.
After reaching the top floor window of another room, With a swift and focused determination, Jae ripped the curtains of the room, transforming them into a makeshift rope. He looped one end around the sturdy iron railing of the window and tied the other end securely around his waist.
Without pausing to consider the danger, he climbed onto the window sill, his hands gripping the edge of the roof tightly. He lifted his gaze to the roof, where he spotted her standing.
"Jia, give me your hand quickly but carefully." he called out firmly, extending his hand toward her.
"Are you not joining me?"
"Stop your nonsense! Give me your hand now!" he urged, a sense of impatience creeping into his voice.
Jia, still clutching the iron rod, extended her hand cautiously, inching closer, desperately trying to bridge the gap between them.
But suddenly she slipped and lost her grip on the iron rod and started to fall. She collided with him in mid air, nearly causing them both to topple over. But suddenly Jia felt that someone grabbed her hand tightly, saving her from falling. She turned her head up to see and saw he was hanging in the middle, holding on to the window rail tightly with one hand and holding her hand with the other one.
"Master! Congratulations." Hearing her, Jae looked down at her in confusion.
"We are going to die together." She was looking at him with a wide smile while he was perplexed due to her strange behaviour since she woke up from her unconsciousness.
"Shut up! Zip your mouth." His voice filled with intensity.
Then with a burst of strength, he hoisted her up to his level, his muscles straining from the effort. "Hold me tight," he commanded.
Without hesitation, Jia wrapped her arms and legs around him, locking him into a firm embrace, a koala-like hold, her legs encircling his waist while her arms clung to his neck.
"Tighten your grip on me" Jae growled, his voice rough with effort.
Jia responded instantly, her grip on him growing even fiercer, their bodies now pressed snugly together. With a Herculean effort, Jae reached out his hand and grabbed the sturdy iron rail that lined the window, shifting his weight fully onto his powerful hands so that he could pull them both to safety. In one fluid motion, he lifted one leg up onto the window's iron rail and then the other, steadying himself as he balanced precariously on the narrow ledge by grabbing the window case.
"Get inside quickly and carefully," His voice was firm yet urgent. Jia obeyed, releasing her grip on him one by one and stepping onto the window's iron rail before leaping through the open window to safety.
Soon, Jae followed suit, landing softly on the floor of the room after making sure she was safely inside. He exhaled deeply as they both took a moment to steady themselves from their ordeal.
After several tense seconds passed in silence between them, Jae finally broke it with an irritated scowl directed at Jia,
"You have lost your mind! Why did you climb there?"
"I wanted to see what the view outside looked like from up there... it was really breathtaking." she explained with a satisfied look.
"First explain to me how you dared to go anywhere without my permission? Did I give you permission to climb there, hmm? What if you'd fallen from there, huh?"
Out of nowhere, Jia enveloped him in a tight embrace, catching him off guard. "Sorry, now I won't go anywhere without your consent, I will stay with you only." She mumbled against his chest.
But Jae swiftly extricated himself from her hold, his face twisted with frustration. "Are you sane, woman? What strange things you're doing since coming to your senses? If this is your acting then Stop it immediately!"
"I'm not acting. I just want to embrace everything positivity since I have no choice but to be your slave for the rest of my life and I can't marry anyone else. So, I was thinking, why not marry you then you can have s€x with me? And I don't think I'd hesitate at all if it were you ... .I'm addicted to you. Everything becomes unattractive to me except you when you're in my sight." A smile was on her face as her tone laced with honesty.
While hearing her, his expression twisted with disbelief as he spoke, his voice filled with incredulity, "You want to marry the person you don't even love, merely based on attraction, and then proceed to have s€x huh? What kind of girl are you? I didn't expect you to be this type of girl."
"How can you say this? You yourself are a mafia and you have done thousands of illegal things, so what I'm saying to you is just a mere thing ... .and this would be a normal thing for you, wouldn't it? You would've made many girls your slave and had s€x with them so what is the problem with me?" As soon as she said this, Jae shook his head in incredulity before grabbing her wrist aggressively and dragging her towards the exit door.
He forcefully yanked her to her room, dropping her hand before issuing a stern command, "Do not move from here until it's time for dinner."
But as he was about to leave, she clung to his hand from behind, halting his departure.
"You still haven't answered my question,"
"Don't DARE touch me!" Jae's response thundered through the room, his hand tearing free from her grip with a forceful jerk, causing her to flinch.
"Okay, I won't touch you, Master... but I'm certain you'll fall in love with me," she stated confidently, her smile unwavering.
"SHUT UP! WHY DO YOU WANT ME TO LOVE YOU WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN LOVE ME YOURSELF??"
Suddenly a realisation struck him, and his expression turned dangerously calm.
"Oh now it all makes sense... You just want your life to be easy by having MY affection instead of being under my whip forever." He let out an icy chuckle before adding coldly, "But that will never happen."
Hearing his words, she just stared into his eyes silently.
"Get it in your mind, I will NEVER love you," he declared, his words like venom dripping from his tongue.
"Actually you know what? You already do, and I believe it." she retorted with a note of certainty.
He stepped closer until their faces were almost touching. "Listen, you're NOTHING to me... but merely a puppet," he hissed, his voice charged with anger. With that, he abruptly turned and stormed out of the room, leaving her there alone.
●◇◇◇◇◇◇●
"I had already suspected that Jia wasn't staying with him out of her own choice." Jackson spoke up, standing between the road and river near the railing, gazing out his tranquil front view.
Daniel nodded in agreement, who was standing beside Jackson, adding his own observation. "It's odd... How he's suddenly sharing his space with a girl when he's been avoiding females and everyone else for these long years."
"I don't know whether to be happy that a girl has entered into his life…. or sad that Jia is living with him as a slave, not as his beloved." A bitter smile was on Jackson's face.
"I have noticed a slight change in Jae's behaviour."
"Like what? He has already changed completely, is there still something left to change in him?" Jackson turned his head slightly towards Daniel.
"Actually, when Jia was unconscious for two days, Jae used to sit by her whole day and night, rather he himself needed rest because his wound was fresh due to the bullet and still fresh but regardless of this, he stayed by her side to wait for her to come back to her senses….which is great, i mean maybe he is trying to overcome the past. And I don't know why but I feel like, Jia is Fairy."
After listening to his words a surprised smile came on Jackson's face.
"Buddy, if this is indeed the case, then it marks the beginning of a new chapter in his life," he replied.
"If it happens, I'll be sure to give you a gift, perhaps a little nephew or niece." Daniel's playful remark prompted a chuckle from Jackson.
"I have been eagerly anticipating that gift." He said teasingly looking at Daniel. Suddenly a screaming voice interrupted them. And as soon as they turned their heads to see, Jackson widened his eyes and mouth in shock. Bella was charging towards him at lightning speed in anger.
"SON OF JACK!! I'll KILL YOU TODAY!!!"
Before Jackson could even react, Bella was upon him, delivering a powerful flying kick that made him hit the ground hard.
She didn't give him a moment to respond or catch his breath before grabbing his collar and firing a barrage of questions at him.
"How did this rumor spread? And why didn't anyone tell me about the gunshot incident? And why on earth has her phone been switched off for the past two damn days?!"
"Ow—what the hell are you asking about?" Jackson groaned, rubbing his sore neck as he glared up at Bella.
"The rumor of the multi-billionaire businessman and famous actress being in a relationship." she snapped back, her voice dripping with frustration.
"Don't twist things like jalebi, Tell me exactly what you want to say." Annoyance was audible in his tone.
"The day Jae brought Jia to the hotel entrance in his car, someone videoed everything from start to finish until that gunshot sound. And now, that person made that video go viral today in the name of their relationship."
"So why did you kick me on this matter? I didn't know that someone was making their video that day and I was not even there at that time." He grumbled defensively, standing on his feet and dusting off his clothes after releasing his collar from her grip.
Bella's expression darkened with fury. "Okay, so why didn't anyone tell me about that bullet being fired that day? Jia was there, what if she had gotten hit?"
Jackson shrugged, unfazed by her anger. "No one thought it necessary to inform you, so what can I do?"
"And why is Jia's phone switched off?"
"Maybe her battery died, simple."
"So is there no electricity in your brother's house that she couldn't charge her phone for the last two days?" She asked, resting both her hands on her waist.
"How am I supposed to know?"
"How do you not know? He is your brother, isn't he?" She stared at him in disbelief.
"Of course he is."
Right that moment, Bella punched hard on his face due to which his balance got shaken at her sudden antic.
"Have you lost your mind? Why are you hitting me for no reason?" anger took place on his face.
She shot back firmly, "Because you are not telling me anything true ... .I'm not stupid, I can sense that something is going wrong with her. Get Jae on the phone, I want to talk to her.."
"What, do you think Jae kidnapped her? She went with him willingly right in front of you, so why are you so suspicious? And I told you earlier also that his phone is broken so we can't call him." He lied at once, standing properly.
"So why hasn't he bought a new phone yet? And how does he contact YOU without one?"
"We don't need to contact each other."
"Oh yeah, yeah ... .both of you get a gut feeling about where and when you both want to meet, don't you?" She said sarcastically.
"Yes, something like this."
"SHUT UP LIAR!!" She shouted at him before grabbing his collar and forcing him to meet her gaze.
"Listen carefully," she growled, her tone filled with deadly seriousness. "Take me to her now or I'll kill you and bury you six feet under this ground right here."
Just then, a sudden phone ringing pierced the tension of the moment. They turned to see and realised apart from them, there was another person who had been watching them unnoticed all along.
Daniel shot an awkward grin their way, "Sorry for interruption, just wait for a few minutes." He received the call after taking out the phone.
"Yeah baby?" Daniel uttered on the call.
"Where are you? And when will you come back? How long have I been waiting for you?" The person from the other side of the call spoke.
"Yes, I'm just coming."
"Okay come soon and I love you."
"Love you more." Saying this, he disconnected the call before looking at Jackson.
"Uhm ... .jackson I have to run off, Daisy is waiting for me." Hearing him, Jackson nodded.
"And yeah, you! What's your name?" his gaze shifted to Bella.
"Goat." As soon as Jackson said this instead of her name, Bella shot him a death glare.
"Bella." She replied to Daniel.
"Nice to meet you Bella, I'm Daniel."
"Nice to meet you too."
Jackson rolled his eyes in annoyance as they both didn't know each other but still they were saying nice to meet you.
"I'll handle the rumour. Don't worry about this." A smile was on Daniel's face.
A puzzled expression crossed Bella's face as she inquired, "But how?"
"In my own way, you just don't have to concern yourself with it."
"Oh, alright then, thank you so much." a mere smile plastered on her face.
"Alright then—you two carry on with whatever you were doing. Take care of yourselves." Daniel turned to leave, flashing them both a cheerful wave.
"The new chapter of Jackson's life has indeed begun as well." In a hushed tone, Daniel murmured to himself, a smile playing on his lips. With that, he strolled off in the opposite direction. While Jackson and Bella were looking at his disappearing figure.
"Can you release your grip on my collar?" Jackson asked, drawing Bella's attention. With a slight shift backwards, she quickly relinquished her grip on his collar, creating some distance.
"Now," she demanded, her tone unwavering, "Take me to her. Immediately."
"The place where they are living is far away, it will take us a long time to get there. And I know you don't have much time so forget about it."
"My whole time is for her because I am her personal bodyguard so stop talking nonsense and quietly take me to her, and I don't want to hear any more excuses from you."
Jackson sighed, reluctantly agreeing, "Fine, do you want to head there now? It'll be nightfall soon."
"Of course." Her tone was firm.
Jackson, raising an eyebrow skeptically, asked, "First tell me, how'd you even know I was here? Were you stalking me or something?"
Bella shot him a withering glare, her irritation clear. "I wouldn't even stalk you in my worst nightmares, let alone in reality. I came here to relax, but seeing you all the questions triggered in my mind, so I didn't want to lose a chance to kick you."
He couldn't resist adding, "A chance to kick me, or a chance to chat?"
"You just don't use your brain, that'd be doing me a favor. And don't try to trap me in your words, just do what I told you."
Jackson raised his hands in mock surrender before replying casually, "Fine, but right now I only have my bike, so you have to go with me on the bike." He gestured vaguely toward it.
She shrugged nonchalantly. "No problem."
"Are you sure?"
"Definitely sure."
"Okay, then let's get going." Jackson headed toward his bike parked nearby and swung onto the front seat. Bella settled in behind him without hesitation.
In no time at all, they were speeding away from the spot, disappearing into the distance together.
▪▪▪▪▪▪
After riding for one hour, Jackson abruptly halted the bike in front of a restaurant. Without much ceremony, he ordered, "Get down." Bella complied rapidly, dismounting the bike. While Jackson strided inside.
Bella hesitated briefly but followed him into the restaurant, confusion clear on her face as she watched him sit at a table like nothing was wrong.
She demanded sharply, "Why did we come here?"
"Why do people come here?" He asked, raising his eyebrow, his gaze on her confused face.
"To have a meal."
"That's right."
"Mr. Son of Jack! Is your mind fine?"
"My mind is perfectly fine, just call my name properly." His gaze was fixed on the menu book.
"Why are you wasting time by coming here? We will be delayed even more to reach there." Her voice was laced with irritation.
"So what? Do you want me to starve to death before reaching there?" He asked, looking up at her with an unimpressed expression while Bella stared at him for some moments in anger before speaking again.
"Although I don't want this, it won't bother me in the slightest if that happens."
"Sorry, what was that? couldn't hear you." He drawled, cupping his ear towards her pretending that he didn't hear anything even though her voice reached his ear properly.
"No, no ... .your ears are ringing, just moving my mouth." She retorted sarcastically in annoyance.
"Fine, then why are you standing?" He gestured towards the empty seat across from him. "Sit here and order whatever you want to eat."
Reluctantly, she finally gave in and took a seat, glancing through the menu in search of something appetizing.
●◇◇◇◇◇◇●
Descending the stairs, Jia roamed her eyes all over the place to find a particular person but found nothing. Suddenly she heard the sound of utensils from somewhere. She made her way towards the direction of the sound.
After reaching, she saw Jae was preparing dinner like a professional chef in the kitchen. Moonlight filtered through the window, casting a soft glow as she silently admired him until his voice interrupted her.
"Twenty minutes." He spoke, without looking up from his dinner preparation.
"Huh?" Confusion evident on her face.
"You're twenty minutes early, I told you to be on time."
"I'm sorry."
"Have you taken an oath to disobey my every order?"
"Will you punish me for this now?" She asked, showing him the puppy face but he didn't respond neither glanced up at her. Feeling ignored, she continued staring at him for some time to get the answer then decided to ask another question.
"Can I ask you something?"
This time, he paused and looked at her intently. A brief pause followed before he hummed as yes, then refocusing his work.
"You're a multi-billionaire, and mafia as well, yet why don't you have a single servant?" She asked in a calm tone.
"I don't like anyone around me, I like being alone." He simply replied without looking at her.
"So why did you make me your slave when you don't like anyone around you?"
She didn't take long to speak, and Jae suddenly came very close to her. Caught off guard by his sudden proximity, she instinctively flinched. With him towering over her, pinning her against the wall, she met his gaze with wide, frightened eyes. His cold expression mirrored no remorse as he leaned in, his face just inches from hers.
"To completely ruin your life."
"But why? Is it because I slapped you? Or because I have come to know about you?" The moonlight glinted in her eyes as she searched his expression for any hint of emotion.
"Think whatever you want to." He uttered, as their eyes locked.
His stoic expression cracked for a split second when she suddenly nuzzled his neck, inhaling deeply his body fragrance, a smirk playing on her lips. But he quickly moved away from her.
"Go and sit in the dining room." He ordered her.
"I think as your slave I should do this work." She said pointing to the dinner.
"Okay, then do."
After getting his consent, she immediately began carrying the dishes one by one to the dining room. While Jae leaned against the counter, arms crossed as he silently observed her every move without blinking. Suddenly she stopped right in front of him, eyes locked onto his face, while Jae didn't even react.
"Done." She declared with a bright smile. He held her gaze for a moment with his suspicious eyes before going towards the dining room without letting out a single word.
●◇◇◇◇◇◇●
At midnight
A quiet subtle creak echoed as the bedroom door eased open. A slender figure slipped inside with the grace of a predator, clutching an alcohol bottle in one hand. She edged closer to the bed, her gaze fixed on the figure lying under the sheets, his back turned to her.
She stood there for a few long moments, staring intently at him like a creep, an unsettling smirk playing at the corners of her lips. Finally, she placed the bottle on the nightstand and cautiously approached the bed, every step measured and deliberate.
Jae's forehead wrinkled on his sleep, realising the atmosphere of the room suddenly changed. His forehead furrowed as he felt the bed dip behind him, his instincts sharpening instantly. His eyes snapped open just as a soft hand slid around his waist under the covers.
And the next thing he heard made his eyes wide in surprise.
"Master! Why do you hate me?" She whispered, dragging herself closer to him even more.
He immediately removed her hand from his waist after realising that she was drunk as there was a pungent scent of alcohol coming from her side before turning around on the bed to face her. But she wrapped her hands around his waist again, hugging him tightly.
"Let go of me!" he demanded, attempting to pry her off, but she tightened her grip even more, their bodies pressed firmly together.
"No, I won't." She refused against his broad chest.
"Jia, I said get away from me."
He said, but she snuggled further, silent and unmoving.
"Why have you come here?" He asked.
"To heal myself…Cause you're my Cure."
●◇◇◇◇◇◇●